91AND JESUS, getting into a boat, crossed to the other side and came to His own town [Capernaum].2And behold, they brought to Him a man paralyzed and prostrated by illness, lying on a sleeping pad; and when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, Take courage, son; your sins are forgivenand the [C]Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.penalty remitted.3And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, This man blasphemes [He claims the rights and prerogatives of God]!4But Jesus, knowing ([D]Many manuscripts so read.seeing) their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil and harbor [E]Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.malice in your hearts?5For which is easier: to say, Your sins are forgiven and the [F]Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.penalty remitted, or to say, Get up and walk?6But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins and[G]Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.remit the penalty, He then said to the paralyzed man, Get up! Pick up your sleeping pad and go to your own house.7And he got up and went away to his own house.8When the crowds saw it, they were struck with fear and awe; and they [H]Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.recognized God and praised and thanked Him, Who had given such power and authority to men.9As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s office; and He said to him, [I]Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.Be My disciple [side with My party and follow Me]. And he rose and followed Him.10And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and [J]G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon.[especially wicked] sinners came and sat (reclined) with Him and His disciples.11And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, Why does your Master eat with tax collectors and those [preeminently] sinful?12But when Jesus heard it, He replied, Those who are strong and well (healthy) have no need of a physician, but those who are weak and sick.13Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy [that is, [K]Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.readiness to help those in trouble] and not sacrifice and sacrificial victims. For I came not to call and invite [to repentance] the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God), but sinners (the erring ones and all those not free from sin). 14Then the disciples of John came to Jesus, inquiring, Why is it that we and the Pharisees fast [L]Many manuscripts so read.often, [that is, abstain from food and drink as a religious exercise], but Your disciples do not fast?15And Jesus replied to them, Can the wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is still with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.16And no one puts a piece of cloth that has not been shrunk on an old garment, for such a patch tears away from the garment and a worse rent (tear) is made.17Neither is new wine put in old wineskins; for if it is, the skins burst and are [M]Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.torn in pieces, and the wine is spilled and the skins are ruined. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.18While He was talking this way to them, behold, a ruler entered and, kneeling down, worshiped Him, saying, My daughter has just [N]Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.now died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will come to life.19And Jesus got up and accompanied him, with His disciples.20And behold, a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment; 21For she kept saying to herself, If I only touch His garment, I shall be restored to health.22Jesus turned around and, seeing her, He said, Take courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well. And at once the woman was restored to health.23And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making an uproar and din,24He said, Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping. And they laughed and jeered at Him.25But when the crowd had been ordered to go outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose.26And the news about this spread through all that district.27As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting loudly, Have pity and mercy on us, Son of David!28When He reached the house and went in, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, Do you believe that I am able to do this? They said to Him, Yes, Lord.29Then He touched their eyes, saying, According to your faith and trust and reliance [on the power invested in Me] be it done to you;30And their eyes were opened. And Jesus earnestly and sternly charged them, See that you let no one know about this.31But they went off and blazed and spread His fame abroad throughout that whole district.32And while they were going away, behold, a dumb man under the power of a demon was brought to Jesus.33And when the demon was driven out, the dumb man spoke; and the crowds were stunned with bewildered wonder, saying, Never before has anything like this been seen in Israel.34But the Pharisees said, He drives out demons through and with the help of the prince of demons.35And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and infirmity.36When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then He said to His disciples, The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few.38So pray to the Lord of the harvest to [O]Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.force out and thrust laborers into His harvest.